Work Ethic Continues To Build the Industry

In the year 2027, 25 years will have gone by. The sun will still shine, the city and the world as always will wake up to the morning bustle and in the background the backup indicator of a concrete truck moving into position for the days big pour will be heard.

Will there be any special gadgets to help our industry be more productive? Who knows! I'm sure in many small ways progress will help to facilitate communication between the owners, design consultants and contractors.

Equipment development for speed, reliability and quality will continue to advance, and material development may change the way we do business.

One thing for sure that I do know is that time will not change the hard work and dedication of many who serve the design and construction industry as we know it. Technical advancements will not replace the quality of a skilled mason who still lay up one brick at a time or I can't imagine an ironworker setting steel without a simple spud wrench.

My grandfather came to this country in 1913 as an Italian immigrant and with little education found work as a laborer. He like many others worked tirelessly each day to earn his living. There is no instant success in our business. There have not been many "dot-com" overnight millionaires on virtually creating no value at all that I can remember.

When we are done each day we leave our mark. Whether it's another tier we raised or solved a complex coordination issue into the late evening hours, we remain committed to come back again each day until the project is completed. Perhaps it is based on our simple hard work ethic instilled in most of us from our various ethnic backgrounds or the sense of satisfaction we attain performing our individual roles in this business.

So now it is the year 2027, New York Construction News will be celebrating its 75th year anniversary and I have just retired. I hope I can look back on my 43 years in the construction business and reminisce about the many wonderful people who shared in my career and who were committed to the same principles that make this a great business just like many others before me have done.